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How to Get Rid of Garlic Breath Quickly

Keep your mouth fresh with these simple tricks.

Who doesn't love cooking with garlic? Raw or cooked, sliced or smashed, there's no denying that those little cloves pack powerful flavor and can make your soups, stir-fries, sauces, pasta (OK, anything, really) so much better. However, after your third serving of garlic bread or pasta Aglio e olio, you may not be as minty fresh as when you started the evening. Though it's good to know you'll be able to keep any vampires at bay, you'll probably still want to know how to get rid of that garlic breath quickly.

Luckily, there are plenty of natural remedies for getting rid of garlic breath, from fresh produce to herbs to drinks that are high in odor-reducing enzymes. (Of course, when all else fails, you can still turn to classic oral care methods.) Here are a few foolproof ways to get rid of garlic breath, stat.

Eat fruits and vegetables

Crunching on apples, spinach, or lettuce, will help neutralize garlic breath, as these foods are rich in odor-reducing enzymes. If you've ever heard an apple referred to as "nature's toothbrush," it's true in some ways!

Eat fresh herbs

Parsley is a well-established palate-cleanser and breath-freshener. And mint, which contains high levels of antioxidants known as polyphenols, has been found to specifically help kill garlic breath.

Drink something acidic

The acid in a few swallows of lemon juice (or a cup of water mixed with lemon juice) will help neutralize the enzymes in garlic that cause odor. Not into citrus? Green tea is packed with odor-reducing polyphenols and can help freshen breath, too.

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Hit the oral care aisle

Hit the oral care aisle: If no other edible (or drinkable) remedies are working, go for the big guns. Brush your teeth, floss, then gargle with plenty of mouthwash. Sometimes, the simplest remedy is the best one.

The potential for garlic breath shouldn't scare you away from using the vegetable, especially when there are so many natural remedies for getting rid of garlic breath. So tuck into that plate of garlicky spaghetti—just consider one of these breath-freshening methods for when you're finished eating.

 

Rebecca Firkser
Rebecca Firkser is a food writer and recipe developer. Read more about Rebecca
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